Genshin Impact: This light novel author doesn't cross the line.

"Hello, I am Chiki Ueno, and these two are Traveler and Paimon. We have been asked by the magistrate to come here to solve your problems."

Hearing that they weren't there to cause trouble, the couple breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hello, I'm Junya, and this is my junior sister, Nanako. Lately, too many people have been coming to cause trouble, so we have to be on guard," Junya said apologetically.

"Has something happened recently?"

Jun sighed, "Our master, Tsuchimon, has recently been possessed by an evil spirit!"

"Possessed by an evil spirit?!"

Yingmei and Paimon both screamed in surprise.

Junya wasn't surprised by their reactions; in fact, this was the first time he'd encountered something like this. "Our master, Tsuchimon, is the head of the Myokyo Shisui-ryu school. Since mastering swordsmanship, he has never been defeated. He has always pursued the goal of becoming the best in the world. But…"

His junior sister continued, "Ever since Master's divine eye was taken away, his personality has suddenly changed drastically. He not only often mutters strange things, but he also forbids us from practicing swordsmanship. This situation can only be explained by possession, so we specially invited a shrine maiden from Narukami Shrine to exorcise the evil spirit."

"The exorcism ceremony will be held soon. If the three of you are interested, you can stay here and watch together. With more people, the evil spirits should be afraid." When the evil spirits were mentioned, a hint of fear unconsciously appeared on Junya's face.

Paimon clung tightly to Yingmei and whispered to her, "Traveler, why don't we go back first? I'm terrified of these evil spirits and monsters."

Yingmei, who was originally fearless, felt uneasy after hearing what she said and moved closer to Ueno Chiki.

Seeing how spineless these two were, he had no choice but to say to them, "Don't be afraid, it's not an evil spirit."

Yingmei and Paimon relaxed.

But at that moment, a man's terrified scream came from inside the kendo hall.

"Don't come over here!"

"Let me go!"

"Anzai! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"......"

Yingmei and Paimon immediately tensed up again, clinging tightly to each other.

"Alas, Master has gone mad again. I hope the shrine maiden of Narukami Shrine can exorcise the evil spirits from Master," Junya said worriedly.

After a while, Yingmei and Paimon calmed down and let go of each other. Out of the corner of their eyes, they noticed a sneaky figure watching them from a distance.

Yingmei tugged at Ueno Chiki's clothes and gestured with her eyes in the direction of the figure. "Hey, Chiki, there's someone peeking over there. Something's definitely up."

"Let's chase after them and see."

Yingmei, with Paimon in tow, ran like the wind toward the figure.

Upon realizing what was happening, the figure turned and ran.

However, no matter how fast he was, he could never outrun Yingmei.

Before long, they were stopped by Yingmei and Paimon.

The furtive figure was an elderly samurai with gray hair, a sword at his waist, and clothing somewhat similar to that of Junya, whom they had just seen.

He stood there, breathing heavily, gasping for air. "You... how come you ran so fast? Are you Tumen's apprentices? You seem to be even faster than him."

"Hey, tell me honestly, who are you? What were you trying to do hiding there?" Yingmei put her hands on her hips, trying to make a fierce expression.

“You don’t look like a good person, so tell the truth,” Paimon chimed in.

"Hmph! You don't seem like good people. Back when I was learning swordsmanship with Tsuchimon, you were probably nowhere to be found." The old samurai said in an unfriendly tone.

At that moment, Ueno Chiki finally ran over, his hair soaked with sweat and plastered to his forehead, panting heavily.

"Qianshu, your stamina is terrible. People will call you a 'hound' if you're out there," Yingmei said sharply, looking at his weak appearance.

"I...I understand, I'll practice more in the future. Let's get down to business."

Ueno Chiki walked up to the elderly samurai and said, "You must be Tsuchimon's senior brother, Anzai."

"I didn't expect anyone to still know my name. It must have been that guy Tumen who told you. So many years have passed, and he still thinks about me so much. Alas, such feelings can only be cherished in memory, for at the time it was all in vain." Anzai's face showed a look of nostalgia.

Ueno Chiki was completely dumbfounded. Could it be that Tsuchimon and Anzai had an extraordinary relationship?

Then, Anzai began to tell the three of them stories from years past.

"Back then, I was handsome and dashing, with an extraordinary demeanor. My fellow disciples in the sect had a great fondness for me. However, at that time, I only wanted to inherit the Mingjing Zhishui style and ignored everything else."

Then Tsuchimon appeared. On his very first day, he asked me if I wanted to join him in fencing and together carry forward the Myokyo-Shisui-ryu style.

I didn't understand love at all, so I rejected his offer. From that day on, he practiced swordsmanship relentlessly, and his swordsmanship skills improved by leaps and bounds.

Later, I was defeated by his sword. He told me that if I was willing, he would immediately leave the Mirror Still Water School, as long as I stayed with him.

However, my pride got the better of me, and I still rejected him.

Ah, if only I hadn't been so stubborn back then!

Chapter 40 Brotherhood

The story of Tumen and Anxi can be simply summarized as follows: a naive boy who doesn't understand love when he encounters it, only realizing its meaning after losing it.

"After we parted ways, I hoped he could carry on my dream of becoming the best in kendo. Later, he did not disappoint me and became a very famous kendo master."

"Then why don't you go see him?" Paimon asked, puzzled.

"Because the Myokyō Shisui-ryū school we learn requires a mind free of distractions, and he is a once-in-a-century swordsmanship genius, I cannot ruin him because of my personal feelings."

Anxi's eyes were full of tenderness. "After I heard that he had gone mad, I rushed to see him without hesitation. But I didn't expect that even though he was already insane, the name he uttered most often was still my name."

I've finished speaking. The exorcism ritual should be almost over soon, so you should all head back now.

"Aren't you coming back with us?" Yingmei asked expectantly, hoping that the two of them could have a happy ending.

Anxi's expression was complicated. She waved her hand and said, "I won't go. If he is well, then all is well."

"let's go."

Ueno Chiki couldn't stand this guy anymore, so he grabbed Yingmei's hand and started walking back. His hand was strong and firm, as if he wouldn't let her break free.

Yingmei was startled. This was the first time she had been held by a man other than her brother, and such intimate contact made her feel inexplicably excited.

She stole a glance at him; his face looked exceptionally handsome in the bright sunlight, and his eyes seemed to hold a deep emotion that she couldn't resist.

Joy welled up in her heart like a spring, her heart pounded faster and faster, and her thoughts became chaotic.

She had never experienced this feeling, this thrill, before!

After walking a distance, Ueno Chiki felt the softness and warmth in his hand and immediately let go. For a moment, he had actually wanted to hold Yingmei's hand like that forever.

After he let go, Yingmei felt a little disappointed.

Soon after, the three returned to the front of the Meikyō Shisui-ryū Kendo Dojo, by which time Tsuchimon's exorcism ritual had ended.

"What? Master isn't possessed? Could it be that Master has gone mad? How is that possible? I don't believe it! There must be something wrong here!"

Nanako stood with her hands on her hips, speaking to the shrine maiden Inashiro Hotaru in a very strong tone.

"Junior sister, don't get agitated." Chunshi quickly calmed her down.

Faced with Nanako's questioning, Inashiro Hotaru was not angry, but rather felt somewhat guilty. "I'm sorry, with my abilities, I really can't tell that Mr. Tsuchimon is possessed by an evil spirit. However, there are all sorts of evil spirits in this world, and there are many that I have never seen before. When I came here, Lord Yae-no-miya told me that if I couldn't solve the problem, I could take Mr. Tsuchimon to Narukami Shrine."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go straight there!" Nanako, who loved her teacher dearly, immediately prepared to take her master to Narukami Shrine.

Inashiro Hotaru did not leave immediately, but walked up to Hotaru.

"This must be the traveler from afar. If you have time, please visit Narukami Shrine. Lord Yaegami wishes to meet you."

"See me? What do you want to see me for?" Yingmei pointed to herself, looking very confused.

"Lady Yae no Kami didn't say it explicitly, but she generally doesn't do things without a reason."

"In that case, let's go with Tumen and his apprentice."

"I'll be going now. See you at Narukami Shrine. Have a safe trip!"

After speaking, Inashiro Hotaru left with light and graceful steps.

Before long, Junya and Nanako were ready. They tied Tsuchimichi up from top to bottom with ropes, and then Junya carried him over on his shoulder.

The group walked towards Narukami Shrine, with a figure following closely behind them.

As the sun sets, a faint orange hue gradually appears on the horizon. Narukami Taisha Shrine atop the mountain looks solemn, mysterious, tranquil, and timeless in the afterglow of the setting sun.

But this tranquility was broken by the arrival of Ueno Chiki and others.

Under the beautiful cherry blossom tree, they met Yae no Miko, the priestess of Narukami Shrine.

She wore a shrine maiden outfit with red and white as the main colors, and her long, smooth pink hair fluttered gently in the wind. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, with fair skin that had a rosy glow. Her eyes, as beautiful as peach blossoms, were filled with intelligence and cunning in their purple hues.

Yingmei was deeply stunned by her beauty and unconsciously whispered, "I really want to rub her ears and tail."

Ueno Chiki was startled by her bold statement and broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly covered her mouth with his hand to prevent her from saying anything more shocking.

However, it's too late.

Yae no Miko had already shifted her gaze to them, a subtle, enigmatic smile playing on her lips.

Chun also placed his master, Tumen, on the ground.

The earthen gate, bound by ropes, was wriggling like a maggot.

Yae no Miko frowned. "Untie the ropes."

Junya quickly untied the rope.

After being released, Tsuchimon squatted on the ground, repeatedly muttering, "Please, please let me go!" "I'll never practice swordsmanship again." "Anzai, is that you?" "Anzai!"

The shrine maiden, Inashiro Hotaru, walked to Yae no Miko's side and said softly, "As you can see, Lord Yae no Miko, Mr. Tsuchimon has been in this mad state. It seems that the person who once lost to him is cursing him right next to him, which makes him feel extremely painful."

Nanako asked with concern, "Master Yashinari, my master must be possessed by an evil spirit."

Yae no Miko carefully examined Tsuchimon. "Unfortunately, your master was not possessed by evil spirits."

"What do you mean?"

“Your sect is called the Mirror of Still Water Flow, right? But as long as you’re human, you can’t truly have a still mind. After losing his God’s Eye, his desires were taken away. The emotions he had suppressed erupted like a tsunami. He doubted himself and struggled in fear, and that’s how he became like this.”

Tumen was still squatting on the ground, muttering to himself, his voice growing louder and louder.

"Enough, Tsuchimon!" Anzai shouted, walking from a corner of the shrine to stand in front of Tsuchimon.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Tsuchimon stood up and searched for the owner of the voice. When he saw Anzai, he became very emotional.